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Washington, DC – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO), Chief Deputy Whip, said she voted against the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38) today because it would weaken standards for public safety in many states, including Colorado.

“This bill gives the weakest state standards on gun violence prevention the force of law nationwide,” DeGette said. “Compelling state legislatures to adopt the concealed carry standards of other states will only undermine the protections that their citizens have come to expect their elected officials to uphold.

“If this bill passes the Senate and is signed into law, Coloradans would be in greater peril. I refuse to let our communities face such mindless and needless danger without a fight.”

DeGette is a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, which was formed after the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Shortly thereafter, she introduced a bill to ban high-capacity assault magazines similar to the one in place in Colorado, and she continues to support this move. She has also advocated other measures in the current Congress, including the proposed ban on bump stocks that briefly seemed to have bipartisan support after the Las Vegas mass shooting two months ago but has since stalled.